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Blue Eyes
Chapter One I stared down the hill, at the place called "Camp Half-blood". It was supposedly my new home. It seems okay, I thought, as I grimly began to walk down to a whole new world. I wasn't surprised at all about the strange stuff in the place. Heck, I lived around monsters, okay? My life before this was divided into family, school and monster-slaying. Yeah, my mom was used to that. By the time I was fourteen, more creatures chased me, and Mom decided to bring me to this camp, a safe place where no hellhounds, snake-women, demons, and giants can touch me. Chiron had explained to me about the gods and how sometimes, they had children with mortals. I was one of those kids. I listened with interest and calm, and Chiron seemed slightly surprised that I'm not freaking out. After that, he had left me on the hill, saying he has to speak to a dude named Mr. D. So here am I, strolling around the camp. A kid passed me and looked me in the eye. After a second, the kid suddenly winced, as if in pain. He scrambled away. I gazed after him in confusion. What did I do? I shrugged and walked on. I came across a tall, burly girl who stood in front of an ugly red cabin. She sneered at me. "Punk," She told me. I raised an eyebrow at her. When our eyes connected, the girl became surprised and without a warning, punched me. I dodged. "What--?" I asked, totally flabbergasted. But I never completed my question. The girl punched me again. "Don't ever do that to me again!" She screamed, but she wasn't looking directly at my face. She just lunged wildly, her head tilted away from me. "Clarisse, stop that!" A stern voice barked. A blond--haired girl emerged beside me, her arms crossed. "Ah! This is not over, freak!" The burly girl, named Clarisse spat at me and ran away. I scowled. "Who in Hades does she think she is?" I asked, using the term my mother uses when she got really mad. The blond-haired girl turned to me. For a moment, she looked okay as she glanced at me. Then she flinched. "Are you okay?" I became worried. "Y-yes." She muttered. "It's just that your eyes are intimidating." She added. She exhaled and then held out a hand. "I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena." She introduced herself. "I'm Zarana Gale, unclaimed kid." I said, smiling. Abruptly, a conch horn sounded. "It's dinner time. I've got to be with my cabin mates. See you." Annabeth dashed off across the green. I silently walked by myself to the dining pavilion, with a couple of directions from (I think) Apollo kids. They had whimpered when they gawked at me but they managed to sputter out something that helped. Chiron, the centaur, (yeah I know) welcomed me and offered me a seat at the head table. I nervously sat down. For a minute, every camper scrutinized me, then swiftly swerved away, as though me in plain sight is too much for their eyes to handle. I ate my pizza miserably. After the last of my slice disappeared, all of a sudden, there was a blast of golden light. The sky thundered. Everyone looked above my head and gasped. I looked up. Hovering inches above my head was a holographic image of a lightning bolt. Chiron was shocked, but he quickly got over it, and bowed reverently. The others also knelt, even that girl, Clarisse, though she did it with a grunt. "Hail, Zarana Gale, daughter of Zeus, god of lightning and the sky, king of the gods." I was ominous when I stepped in the cold, damp cabin of Zeus. A huge statue of my father glared down at me, and he looked scary. The ceiling of the room thundered, and bronze eagles and creepy fires did not help to settle down the mood. This was meant to be a temple, not some kid's bedroom. I plopped my sleeping bag at a corner, lay down, turned myself away from the likeness of Zeus, and passed out. My dream began like this: I was on the peak of a mountain, bound in chains. Lightning pounded the mountainsides. I struggled to remove my shackles, but I felt tired, drained of power. A giant, not a dumb-looking one, but a large man who radiated power, approached me and laughed. "If Zeus cares about you, young one, he'll pay the ransom." His booming voice shook the earth. I did my best to give him the deathly eyeball, he only cruelly smiled, but I saw he trembled a little. "You are powerful, half-blood." He snarled. "If no one cares about you, you could be useful." He walked off, cackling like a madman, which I think he was. The dream faded. Chapter Two The first thought of the morning: Storm. But when I opened my door, finally relieved to escape the cabin even though it might be a grungy day, I was surprised to find bright sunlight. Then, I realized, Zeus' cabin was always thundering, due to his job description as "the god of lightning and the sky". Go figure. I shuffled to the pavilion for breakfast. I sacrificed almost all of my cereal to Zeus, 'cause I lost my appetite. Chiron handed me my schedule. I looked at it and saw sword play was first. Awesome. I went to the arena, and found a group strapping on armor and hefting swords. A Hephaestus boy came and handed me armor and a bronze sword. His eyes were set behind me, preventing my eyes. He mumbled, "Good luck," and sauntered away. Annabeth started pairing us up. I got to fight with her sibling named Lawrence. As soon as we started, I lashed at the Athena guy. He deflected it easily. He gave an attack of his own, but I dodged. I focused on his gray eyes, trying to distract him. It worked. He cringed and dropped his sword. I thrust the tip of my blade at his chin, and he raised his hands in defeat. "Eyes....." He said. "Like lightning bolts." Really? I thought. That made sense since daddy is Zeus, god of lightning, blah blah blah. I patted him on the shoulder and looked questioningly at Annabeth. She stepped back, as she saw me but she nodded. "I think," She said wistfully, "Percy might like a challenge." The Percy dude brightened when he heard his name and walked to Annabeth. She pointed at me, and gave him a kiss on the cheek for good luck (I think). Percy ambled towards me, carrying a strange sword. Bronze like mine, yes, but had a different design. Well, we began play and he took first strike. I dropped on one knee to avoid it and tried to stab his left knee. He leapt back, and I stood up. He parried, I warded off. He was fast, handling the fight with skill. I jabbed at him, and he returned attack. Finally, our blades connected and I twisted. His sword clattered on the stone floor. He eyed me with his sea-green eyes. He blinked a few times, rubbed his eyes and said, "Whoa, your eyes remind me of Zeus' master bolt." I snorted. "I know." We shook hands, and Percy scooped up his sword. I pulled out my schedule, and saw archery next. "Gotta go," I said, and ran towards the archery range. My activities whizzed by until after lunch. Lawrence, (yeah, the guy I defeated in the arena) took me in the armory to choose my weapon. I shook my head at numerous swords, knives, shotguns, crossbows, clubs, and javelins until I found a golden key on a dusty cushion. "A key?" I asked, tapping the cushion. A light shower of dust spilled into the ground. "That's one cool weapon." Lawrence promised. He took the key and gave it to me. "Try it." "What will I suppose to do?" I asked. "Drop it." He said simply. "Are you nuts?" I asked. But he was serious. I dropped the key. I heard a tinkling sound as it fell, and fast as light, it turned into a golden sword, with the imprints of lightning on the blade. "That will be heavy." I whistled. But when I picked it up, it was light. I peered behind me at Lawrence. "Plastic?" I said. "Nah, imperial gold. Special metal." He squeaked. "Oh." I tried to parry with it, and it glided perfectly along. "That's yours." Lawrence confirmed. "Yeah," I stated, feeling happy. "It is." During free time, I wandered at the top of Half-blood Hill, just a few feet away from the pine tree. I sat quietly for a few minutes, watching tree nymphs running away from satyrs, and some campers playing volleyball at the sand pit. Suddenly I felt a claw grasp my shoulder. "Agh!" I yelled. I came face to face with three demons: black wisps of smoke shaped like bats with wings unfolded, faces dripping with blood. It was terrifying to look at. They bared their fangs, but they didn't eat me. I let out a long, strangled scream. Demigods in battle armor immediately marched towards me, but the demons, I recall them as Keres, soared into the sky, along with me heroically shrieking, still in their hands. Chapter Three They landed on a mountaintop. I shivered, not just because of the whipping winds, because this is the same mountain in my nightmare. They released me, and my roaring anger went out of me. Lightning struck the Keres, and they were no more. I heard applause, and I saw the giant for the first time in real life. He was at least fifteen feet tall, with braided dark hair that reached his waist, and silver armor. His eyes glinted with dark knowledge. Etched in his bare arm are ancient words, but not Ancient Greek. He held a silver spear the same size as him. He flicked his meaty hand. Snake-women slithered into my sight. They hissed at me and pulled back as they saw my electric blue eyes. But the giant roared and, out of fear, they went for me. They took my wrists. I writhed about, but boy, do those monsters had some firm grips. They pushed me inside a dark tunnel, with bronze chains littering the earthen floor. I protested, and the weather felt my emotions of anger. The clouds turned stormy, and every now and then, thunder boomed. Lightning flickered the sky. I tried to kick the snake-women in the face, but they were swift. In seconds, I was wrapped in bronze shackles, just like in my dream. I swore they laughed in snake-language when they left me in the grungy cave. Two Laistrygonian giants guarded the entrance, their javelins crossed as if I could escape. I struggled for hours, and in the horizon, I could see lightning bolts striking the soil. I knew that was my power, and I felt myself weakening slowly. After what seemed like forever, a screen made out of a faint rainbow appeared right in front of my face. The foggy images of Annabeth and Chiron peered at me with concern. "Zarana!" Annabeth exclaimed. I was too tired from struggling to react in astonishment. I rasped, feeling my adrenaline fading. "Help......me....." "Zarana, child, where are you?" Chiron muttered. "Mountain......" I whispered. "What mountain?" Annabeth asked. "I.....don't know." My eyelids feel heavy. "Do not worry, child. We will send a quest group to search for you." Chiron assured me. I nodded. "Please......hurry......" I pleaded. "Just hold on, Zarana." Annabeth told me. The screen fell into pieces, and I blacked out. In my dreams, I was in a big throne room. I mean "big" like "Half-of-New-York- City" big. In a throne of solid platinum lounged a giant of a man in a pin-striped suit and a stern expression. "Coeus had risen?" The man shot at a guy wearing a track suit with winged shoes and a winged cap. "Mmm-hmm." The winged-shoe guy agreed. "Why is he here?" The business man asked. "Something about a plan to overthrow Olympus." The jogger replied. "Of course. And Zarana?" The business man said. "Um, missing, Lord Zeus." The jogger implied. "Hmph. Let her be that way." A woman on a throne of ivory wearing a white dress with peacock feathers in her hair snorted. "She is my daughter, Hera." Zeus grumbled. "With a mortal." Hera said under her breath. "Be quiet!" Zeus' eyes flashed murderously. I could see a spark of electricity flicker. I quavered. That must be the look in my eyes that made the campers recoil. Anyway, Zeus was talking to the jogger dude. "Hermes, send a message to Artemis. I need to um, borrow her Hunters. If she agrees, send them to Coeus' mountain." He ordered. Hermes was busily scrolling down messages on his phone. "Hermes!" Zeus barked. "Okay! It will be carried out." Hermes bowed and flew out of the throne room. The dream changed. It was a scene in Camp Half-blood. I saw Lawrence, Annabeth, and a Hermes kid, I think his name is Gian Sho, in front of the Big House. They were talking. "What if--?" Gian started. But Annabeth interrupted. "Stop your stupid "what-ifs", Gian!" She sounded exasperated, and I think Gian had played "what-ifs" for quite awhile. "But its a good one! What if a Titan has captured her?" He said. Lawrence bobbed his head up and down. "Then we'll change strategy." Annabeth said simply. Automatically, my dreams went to nothingness. Chapter Four When I opened my eyes, a scraggly piece of bread was at my feet. One of the guard giants was looking at me and chortling. I glowered at him. He dropped his weapon and held his hand over his hands. He wailed loudly. His partner angrily clobbered the first Laistrygonian's head with his javelin. Soon, they were fighting, and I was starting to enjoy when they stopped mid-wrestle. The chief giant was at the entrance, staring at them in disgust. They untangled themselves and bowed, shouting, "Please, Lord Coeus, spare us!" "Stop, incompetent fools." The master rumbled. He cast his eyes at me, and he noticeably flinched. "Blue eyes." He said, as though it was an ugly thing. "Coeus?" I said, finding his name familiar. "Like, the Titan of intelligence, and the heavenly axis etcetera?" The Titan looked pleased. "Yes, daughter of Zeus. I am him." "Why did you kidnap me?" I queried. "You are part of a big trap, Zarana." He began to circle the cave. "I know Zeus has a soft spot. It is you. He very much loved your mother." He grinned. "Hmph, Hera could've destroyed me then." I sniffed. "Oh, no, demigod." Coeus declared. "If Hera destroyed you, she'd be out of the gates of Olympus, begging for mercy. Can you believe it? Zeus almost became mortal because of you and your mother." "You sound like you're blaming us." I raised an eyebrow. "No! In fact, I thank you." Coeus said. "Forget it." I turned my head. "Listen, half-blood, if Zeus disagrees with my offer, I will kill you, and that will be the start of another war. Would you like that? Starting a war because of you? Many of your fellow demigods will be destroyed, and even your father and the gods will be trampled." Coeus laughed. "Yeah, Zeus is not deaf, idiot. He knows you are here." I spat at him. For two point five seconds, Coeus almost looked terrified. But he took a breath, and smiled. "We better get prepared then." He looked at me and gave a gruesome wink and trudged off. On the entrance, he slapped the faces of the Laistrygonians, and they stood straight, pretending to be attentive. I had a good laugh, even though I felt fatigued. I kicked the plate and it skidded right outside the cave. One of the Laistrygonian saw it and snorted but kept on staring into space. I was bored just sitting in the dirt. So I tried to annoy the giants with my powers. I blew air out of my mouth, and it turned into a full-fledged gale and almost swept off the giants on their butts. They shook their heads, snarled at me and returned to their guard duty. I concentrated, and a lightning bolt hit the soil a few inches from their feet. I chortled. "If you do anything rash again, daughter of Zeus, we will call Lord Coeus." The right-side Laistrygonian threatened. "We will! We will!" The other giant snickered stupidly. "Shut up, you." "Lord Coeus is busy, you dolts." I exclaimed. "So I can annoy you anytime. Or worse, kill you." I chuckled. They gave me the stink-eye. Big mistake. I could feel a spark in my eyes, and they winced. "Aw! Aw!" They yelled, hopping on one foot, eyes shut tight, as if the earth suddenly became hot. "Blue eyes?" I asked cheerfully. "August, don't look at the half-blood in her eyes." The first giant said. "Your name is August?" I fell to the ground, giggling. "You are a month?" The second giant had enough and headed straight for me, javelin ready. "Um, wait." I held out a chained palm. The dumb being abruptly stopped. "Bye!" I said. Lightning fried the giant. "He's very bothersome." I told the giant. "You destroyed my brother!" The living Laistrygonian roared. "So, what's your name, October, September, June?" I questioned playfully. "January!" He said, and charged. "Too bad." I scowled. Air funneled around me, with wisps of lightning. I rose a feet off the ground, my chains clanking. "You forgot, ding-dong, I'm the daughter of Zeus." I proclaimed. The cannibal backed off, and I settled back on the floor. I smiled sweetly. For three days, nothing happened. From what I could see in the entrance, snake-women, hellhounds, telkhines, giants, half-something and half-whatsits keep bustling about. They must be preparing for a battle. It was the fourth day when I had another demigod-type dream. Chapter Five "Hello?" All I could see was fog. "Hello? Zarana, are you there?" A voice called out. A girl wearing a silver jacket over a white shirt printed with a skull, white camo pants, skull earrings and a circlet around her head, stepped out of the smog. She has jet-black spiky hair and electric blue eyes like mine. She had a bow in one hand and a quiver slung on her shoulders. "Who are you?" I asked cautiously. If I say the wrong thing, she'll probably shoot me with an arrow. The girl broke into a grin. "I'm Thalia, your half-sister, also a daughter of Zeus." She said. "Why are you here?" I said. "We are sent by our lady Artemis who was ordered by Zeus to Coeus' mountain." She replied. "He's preparing for a battle." I reported. "Then the Hunters will be ready." She gestured to the mist, and about twenty girls in silver clothing with a bow and arrows appeared and surrounded Thalia. "Be careful. Coeus is very cunning." I warned. "Sure sis." Thalia patted me. "How did you enter my dreams?" I blurted out, the thought just popped in my head. "Our father is the lord of the sky. Clouds, the winds, lightning, storms, airwaves. Stuff like that, is his territory. Its a common power of the child of Zeus, though I've only known it today." She gave me another smile and disappeared in the fog along with the Hunters. My eyes shot open. I noticed my wrists and ankles were bloody, and pain was in my veins. I groaned. I turned to the lone figure of January and noticed he was not alone anymore. Another Laistrygonian, the replacement of August, has crossed his javelin to block the entrance. He was bigger than January's stupid brother, and is more muscly......and ugly. I know if I make a clever insult towards him, even my powers as the child of Zeus couldn't stop him from strangling me to death. So I stayed silent. January growled in satisfaction that I had shut up. He leaned at the new guard and muttered, "Watch out for blue eyes." The dude shifted uncomfortably, as though he was a straight man with a gay companion, but nodded to indicate he'll watch out for them Blue eyes........ A wave of memories clashed in my mind. “Eyes....like lightning bolts” “'' ''Whoa, your eyes remind me of Zeus’ master bolt.” “Hail, Zarana Gale, daughter of Zeus, god of lightning and the sky, king of the gods.” “You are powerful, half-blood.” I remembered my vision in the throne room, how Zeus' eyes had flared up electricity. I wonder...... I looked at my right cuff and focused. A spark erupted, and the shackle split open. I turned to glare at the left one, and it broke apart too. I did the routine to my ankles, and free at last, stood up and walked outside. "Hi!" I greeted casually at the guards. "Hi- hey!" January reached a hand to stop me, but I ran. The Laistrygonians chased after me, calling on monsters for help. I formed a tornado around me, knocking off hellhounds and snake-women, and some giants, who cannot be killed with the force of my cyclone, were destroyed with lightning. January and the other guard Laistrygonian threw javelins at me. But the tornado was also a shield. Coeus noticed the commotion, and panicked. Of course, me escaping will ruin his plan to destroy Olympus. He threw his silver spear, and I stuck out my tongue at him, like "No chance, big boy." But the spear went through the tornado and grazed my shoulder. My eyesight suddenly was tinged with red. I controlled the cyclone to swirl down the mountain, and it obliged. Soon enough, I could hear the frustrated bellow of Coeus at the top, as I landed at the foot of the mountain. I ran away, far from the sight of the landscape, and smiled to myself. Finally free. Chapter Six I was really surprised, 'cause when I landed on the foot of the mountain, the first things I saw were......crowds of people going about their normal businesses. There were streets lined with shops and skyscrapers towering over us. Strong gusts of wind nearly swept me off my feet, and I shivered in the cold. Is it me or does my clothes, all of a sudden, became rather thin? I don't know. Otherwise, I was in Chicago. I looked behind me, and there was Coeus' mountain. Smack in the middle of the road. I watched carefully, and saw the humans pass through it like thin air, which, in their mortal eyes, I think, is true. No one noticed it. Wow, Coeus is real intelligent. I mean, creating his own mountain and made it invisible and pass-through for the mortals, pure genius. But why, of all places, did he choose Chicago? If he plans to "trample" Zeus and the gods, he could've built the mountain near New York. Hmph. I could almost hear my stomach rumbling. Fortunately, I have some money in my pocket, and I went in a coffee shop. I sat in a table by the window, and ordered a sandwich. While waiting for my food, I gazed absently across the street. Something dropped from my pocket. A man, who was sitting two tables away from me, widened his eyes at the floor and gasped. I looked down. My sword! The key had fallen from my pocket, and of course, had transformed. I sheepishly picked it up, then pushed the ruby on the hilt like a button, and it changed back into a key. I glanced at the man, he was still gawking at my key, but when our eyes met, he straightened, as if he was hit by a lightning bolt. Then, he shook his head, and sipped his coffee and read his newspaper like nothing ever happened. When my sandwich came, I scarfed it down. Just as I gulped down the last of it, a group of teenage girls in silver jackets and camo pants went in the shop. They look familiar. The leader, a girl about sixteen years old with spiky hair and bright blue eyes, led them to a table. A waitress handed them menus. "But I can see Coeus' mountain!" A girl about thirteen crossed her arms and pouted. "Patience, Kira. The other Hunters need rest after the long journey." The leader said. "Thalia?" I called. The leader turned, and she calmly took in my eyes. "Zarana? How did you escape?" She stood up and gave me a hug. "Um, I kinda remembered Zeus is my father." I said. Thalia laughed. The thirteen-year old girl, Kira, frowned. "So what now? We leave?" "No!" I shouted. Customers glared at me. I blushed. "Coeus wants to destroy Olympus. First, we must defeat him." I explained. "Zarana's right." Thalia agreed. The Hunters looked psyched. Just then, a bell tinkled as the door to the coffee shop opened, and a chattering group of three went in. A boy, blonde with a mischievous look in his eyes, pestered a girl, also blonde but gray-eyed. "What if Zarana had died? What if Coeus stomped on us before we even get there? What if--" The other boy, who looked like the girl beside him, raised his fist, threatening the first guy. "Gian, shut up." He expressed. The girl clutched her throat, nudged the two boys, and pointed at us. "Thalia!" She exclaimed, beaming widely. "Hey, there's Zarana!" Lawrence said as they approached us. After a couple of hugs and an awkward moment for the boys towards the Hunters, we were planning our assault at the mountain. Thalia divided her Hunters into three. "If Coeus really had planned this, Kira you lead the first group and shoot arrows to their defensive line. Neriena, lead the second group with the wolves to the monsters who advances. Phoebe, you go behind Neriena for back-up. Annabeth, lead the boys with Kira, make sure that that Hermes kid behave." Gian reacted. "Hey!" Thalia gave him a stern shut-up look. "Then, Zarana, lightning with me. If that Titan is stubborn, I'll kill him with my spear." She said. "Um, just lightning?" I questioned, not satisfied with my job. "You remind me of Percy." Thalia smiled. "He goes his own way." Annabeth nodded. "Yeah." She scoffed. Dusk was coming. "So, why do we go find somewhere to sleep and head out tomorrow?" Thalia suggested. Gian yawned. "Yeah." So we checked in a hotel and settled in for the night. As I lay down the bed and looked at my golden key now in a silver chain. I sighed with contentment. It's really great to sleep in a real bed wth no monsters guarding you. Or so I thought. Chapter Seven I really hate demigod dreams. I dreamt I was back on Coeus' mountain. It was silent, no monster in sight. The only thing I see is Coeus kneeling solemnly. He was sweating, his fingers tapping in nervousness. He looked terrified, and then, I knew why. The earth around Coeus began to rise, stretching, as though waking up from a deep sleep. It twisted into the form of a lightning bolt, and Coeus nearly broke down in fear. A voice slithered into my mind, soft but somehow, rather cold. "Coeus, you insolent fool, are you a Titan?" It hissed. The earth shifted, thick waves of mud dancing around the Titan. He tried a proud, brave look. "I am," He announced. "And if you are, why are you terrified of the lightning bolt?" The voice snarled. "I'm ever so sorry you were born, along with Krios." The look on Coeus' face crumbled. "I am the Titan of intelligence!" He roared. "Prove your title," The voice said soothingly. "I will!." He nodded. "Oh, I will." "Perfect! Destroy the puny demigods who will try to step on you, then thwart the gods on Olympus." The voice sneered. "Yes." Coeus pumped his fist in the air. "Then, I will fully rise, and together, we shall rule the world. You want that, don't you? Then, do not fail me Coeus." The voice faded away. I shuddered. The earth seeped back on the ground. Suddenly, Coeus turned and looked at me with pure anger. A forcefield struck me, and I felt like my shoulder has exploded. My eyes shot open, and I immediately sat up. Sunlight stunned me. I was breathing heavily, my shoulder filled with pain. "Good morning." Annabeth was up. When she saw my scrunched-up face, her gaze went blank. "What's wrong?" She said. Her eyes drifted on my shoulder, which was strangely bleeding. "Oh gods." She gasped. "Thanks," I muttered sarcastically. "Um, ah. Just take it easy. I'll see if one of the Hunters can heal you." She smiled sympathetically at me and shuffled out the door. Grasping my shoulder, a thought chose that moment to bob up in my mind. The battle. Oh, boy. Annabeth appeared with Phoebe, carrying a small pouch. Phoebe sat on the bed and set my arm. I winced. She fed me some stuff called ambrosia, and the pain lessened a bit. She cleaned the wound, put some green paste and bandaged it. She fed me more ambrosia, and straightened. Great timing, 'cause Thalia crashed on our door, her eyes wild, and her spear and shield aiming at something just outside the door. "Hellhounds!!" She informed us. Just then, three shadows pounced on her. FYI, the reason I came to Camp Half-blood is because of these freaking dogs. I really hate it when they attack me in packs, and they "hounded" me one day and tailed my mom's car to camp. They disappeared halfway, so I don't know what happened to them. Oh yeah, back to the fight. Phoebe summoned her silver bow, and Annabeth brandished a celestial bronze dagger. I dropped my key, and it turned into the golden sword. I picked it up, and the hellhounds seem to notice us. The biggest kept Thalia busy, and Phoebe ran to help her. The two others leapt at Annabeth and I. Annabeth was doing a pretty fine job parrying her hellhound's teeth. She ducked and deflected the monster's swiping claws, then kicked and slashed back. Meanwhile, Phoebe shot silver arrows at the beast, who refused to be defeated, or its fur was too arrow-proof. Thalia was trying to find a good spot with her spear, jabbing, and occasionally backing off the monster with Aegis. It was too easy. My hellhound enemy snarled at me, saliva dropping to the floor, making little puddles. I had a little trouble avoiding the drool pools, and the helhound saw this as a chance. It was fiercer than the other two, and faster. It kept growling and snapping at me. A rain of yellow dust sprayed at me as Annabeth's hellhound disintegrated. I was distracted for awhile, so my hellhound bit the edge of my blade and pulled. I snarled, then twisted the hilt. I heard a satisfying wince as the monster let go of the sword. I thrusted my weapon inside its mouth, and the poor dog had its last taste of metal as it melted to nothing. The Hunters' hellhound swiped at Phoebe, but she launched an arrow at its head. Thalia lunged her spear at the right side of the monster, and its essence returned to Tartarus. I sat on the floor, breathing heavily, and pushed the ruby to turn my blade back to a key. Just then, a flickering image of Chiron appeared in front of Annabeth, who was sheating her dagger and wiping grime out of her hair. "A----beth!" He called Annabeth's name, but the static drowned his voice. "Some---wrong. Go---Iris, fix---problem with.....h-her." He said. Annabeth didn't have the chance to wrinkle her nose and say "What?!" because the image crumbled to pieces as Chiron said the last word. I frowned. "What's up with Iris, huh?" I asked, entwining the silver chain that held my key around my neck. "Some problem because of Apollo....." Thalia said, pocketing her Mace canister in her pocket. "Yes." A woman's voice said. The room crumbled into dust, replaced by trees and grass. The sound of traffic turned into the song of crickets and frogs. The sky showed, the sun hitting our faces. We were in the heart of a forest. A woman in hunting clothes were shooting silver arrows at the trees. She turned towards us. She had auburn hair tied in a ponytail, and silver eyes glinting with power. Her clothes looked like it was made of moonlight. She wore sandals with straps lacing around her thighs, and tucked inside her belt was two long hunting knives. She had a bow polished like gazelle horns, and a quiverful of silver arrows slung on her back. The Hunters knelt reverently. Somehow, we've all been transferred in this forest. "Lady Artemis." Annabeth knelt too, and so did Lawrence and Gian, but they gulped nervously. I got down on my knees. "Rise, half-bloods." Artemis said. We stood. "You see, Iris now refuses to do her job because of my annoying brother, Apollo." She pursed her lips and lowered her bow. "He always Iris-messages me, to see what am I doing and to just "chit-chat". He disrupts me of my important jobs! And Iris was getting annoyed too." The goddess shook her head, mournfully. "So she blocked herself from Apollo. The only way to do that was to block herself from Olympus." "So what now, my lady?" Thalia asked. "You have to convince Iris to return to her job. Zeus tried, but her realm was hard to reach and highly secured from the gods. Apollo himself wanted to apologize, and he wrote a long poem to express it." Artemis pulled out from her pocket a bright yellow envelope. "I see no reason to read it, and I must say it took him three hours to complete this. Resolve this problem with the rainbow goddess before your battle with Coeus or Father will pound the world with lightning in his impatience and anger." Artemis smiled encouragingly, a faint metallic glow around her. We looked at each other, then shrugged. "Of course, Lady Artemis." Thalia spoke for us. Artemis' face showed approval. "Then go. And be brave, heroes." Chapter Eight Artemis waved her hand. The forest scene spun to a blur.I blinked. We were back in the hotel room. It was getting pretty stuffy, what with twenty-four teenagers all crammed in a small room like sardines in a can. Thalia looked troubled, looking at her bow. Annabeth's eyes were stormy, as if her brain were probably churning a hundred problems to solve. Lawrence and Gian still looked uncomfortable. Finally, Kira spoke up, her permanent scowl gone deeper. "You have heard Lady Artemis herself! We must get to Iris before the battle. We might fit into schedule." Thalia let out a sigh. "Fine. Let's move out then." She walked slowly out the door, as though she was walking towards her death. We followed her. As soon as we checked out, I whistled. "What now?" I asked. "We-eell." Thalia thought for a moment. "Oh yeah, Apollo slipped the location out of his very big mouth." She said casually. Annabeth stifled a laugh. We walked to a street lined with artists' galleries, with Thalia leading. She kept looking up at the name boards and at the display windows. I don't think she was admiring the paintings because she kept going in a fast pace. She was searching for something. We stopped abruptly in front of a small building. Displayed by the glass window were portraits of gardens, forests and paradises. The name of the place was painted at the top in cursive. "COLORS" "What in Hades' name are we doing here?" I asked, confused. Kira arched her eyebrows and muttered, "It's where Iris is, stupid." I curled my lip, but tried to keep my temper down. Thalia pushed open the glass door and we poured in. A smiling woman in a white suit smiled hugely at us from the counter. As we neared her, her face wrinkled with--fear? Then she smiled again, but her form flickered and winked off. As I peered down, I saw a metallic saucer with a greek letter. Eta, the mark of Hephaestus. (Yeah, yeah. Annabeth told me that.) She was a hologram. Then the wall in front of us cracked in half, and slid open, revealing a long, golden staircase. Thalia ran for it, and we followed. After five steps, I looked behind me. The wall-door thingy was closing. Then Kira shoved me to hurry up, and I climbed up. And it seems we've been climbing forever. When Gian was ready to faint from exhaustion, we stopped before a steel door. Annabeth kicked it open, and we held our breath. The room looked like Fairyland had gone modern. Behind a thin screen of mist, twenty-feet rainbow-coloured walls rose. A carpet of drachmas and jewels covered the floor. Tacked to the walls were flat-screen T.Vs with images blurring past. At a corner of the room, a flower-shaped table had a bizarre collection of remote controls. There was a marble platform, with a throne made out of-- ''Are those butterflies? '' Anyways, yes, it was a throne of butterflies. At both sides of the throne were marble pedestals each displaying a laptop computer. One was a sleek, black Apple, and the other was bronze with a drachma stamped on the lid. On the throne sat a woman tapping on an IPad. Her skin was very pale, and her hair was straight and red, decorated with blue and violet orbs of light. Her gown, was of course, colored in swirling rainbows. She had grayish-green eyes. We went in meekly. Our footsteps made a crunching noise as we stepped on the drachmas. "Lady Iris." We bowed reverently. The woman stopped her doing. "Hunters and half-bloods? On Artemis' order, I assume?" She spoke in a kind voice. "Yes, Lady Iris. You see, we were sent by Artemis to resolve the matter of you blocking yourself from Olympus." Iris smiled. Her eyes twinkled. "Wait just a moment." She said. Then, she continued tapping on her IPad. After a moment, she stopped. "There...." She spoke, satisfied. "Updated my Twitter account." She looked back at us. "Well, I was enjoying my time away from Apollo's horrible voice--" Thalia chortled. "And from Hermes' prank calls as well. So I see no reason to go back to old business." Iris finished. "But, Iris, Zeus is getting angry! I think he wishes to talk to somebody....." Annabeth piped up. "He'll destroy you with his bolt!" "My dear Annabeth Chase," Iris chuckled. "Do you have a Twitter account?" Annabeth looked confused. "No." She answered. Iris shrugged. "Facebook?" Still, Annabeth shook her head. "Oh well." Iris cocked her head happily. "What are those laptops for?" Neriena asked curiously. "This Apple here, is for written messages. You see, if there is no Iris-message signal, a mythological freak could call me and belt out a message. I type it and send it to whomever. You can receive the written message in a flash of light." Iris explained. "This drachma laptop is custom-made by Hephaestus. Awesome blacksmith, I wonder why Aphrodite dumped him. Oh yeah, because Aphrodite's dumb!" She burst out laughing. "Anyway, it's sort of like a bank. It counts the drachmas those gods and demigods and creatures send. Then, it divides it by two, one for a choice charity and one for upgrading this ol' place up. " She grinned at Neriena. "Any more questions?" "Yeah." Thalia growled. "Are you going to go back to business or not?" I understood her. There listening to Iris yak-yaking away was pretty irritating. "No." Iris simply answered. She picked up her IPad and began tapping again. "Fine!" I burst out. "We'll have a talk with Hermes to invent a better way than I'Ming! Then you'll enjoy your peaceful life here, forgotten by the mythological world!" Overhead, thunder boomed. Iris looked me in the eye and she shivered. I threw the yellow envelope Thalia gave me after Artemis gave it to her. I stormed out of Fairyland and ran down the steps. I walked out of the gallery and waited for my friends to come down. Two and a half minutes later, they came down, smiling at me in amazement. Chapter Nine I could hear the roar of the monsters on top of Coeus' mountain. They were ready to charge, crying for demigod flesh and blood. I shivered. "Hunters, are you ready?" Thalia said, her tone ominous. They responded by brandishing their bows. Annabeth unsheathed her knife, and Gian brought out a celestial bronze sword. Lawrence had a bow made of onyx, and arrows that burst to Greek fire. I dropped my key, picked up my sword, and took a deep breath. This is it. "So what happened to Iris?" I asked as we headed towards the mountain. Kira snorted. "After you left, she immediately switched on her T.Vs. She's afraid Hermes might usurp her position. He's her bitterest rival." "Then Apollo's face showed up, and Iris burst into tears." Phoebe added, stifling a laugh. We reached the foot of the mountain. I summoned the winds of Chicago to take us to the top. Thalia looked green as we floated up one hundred feet from the ground, but the winds safely landed us to the battlefield. I nearly fainted. The enemy had a hundred monsters impatiently waiting for the battle to begin. Coeus grinned at me, his silver armor glinting. "Well, well." He bellowed. "I see my hellhounds have failed to kill you." "Oh shut up." I spat. "Let's just get this over with." Lawrence stepped out, an arrow ready to be fired. He shot his arrow. It flew in a straight line and impaled itself on the ground. Nothing happened. Then, there was an explosion, lines of Greek fire bursting to life, swallowing monsters. When the fire died and the smoke cleared, sixty monsters still stood, angry. Coeus was not with them. "Where's the Titan?" Thalia roared. A silver spear came from nowhere, nearly skewering her. The air shimmered in front of the monster army and Coeus appeared, chuckling. He snapped his fingers. All Hades broke loose. The enemies rushed forward to us, battle-crying. The first line of Hunters shot silver arrows. Many disintegrated, but the remaining kept charging. A dracaena whacked Phoebe away and had its reptilian eyes trained on me. It was about to slice me into strips when a glowing bronze tip appeared in its head, like a horn. The snake woman shrieked and crumbled into dust. "Thanks Annabeth!" I shouted, knowing she saved me, invisible. Hellhounds was infesting our front line. Neriena's troop was now attacking, trying to help the first group. I rushed in to help. "No, Zarana!" I could hear Thalia yell. She was looking for an opening to Coeus, who was lazily watching the battle in the shadows of the afternoon. But I couldn't let my friends die. Besides, I hate hellhounds. I raised my sword, screamed, and time stopped. The battle stopped mid-fight. Coeus was literally frozen with shock. The sky churned out gray clouds and blocked the sun. A heavy rain began to pour, breaking the time tension. The hellhounds whimpered and turned to shadows. Five strikes of lightning hit the ground, blasting the other monsters to dust motes. Cannibal giants were now hitting us with their clubs. Lawrence shot arrow after arrow, and they exploded to Greek fire. Phoebe had switched to hunting knives, and Neriena was knocked out. Kira's line was advancing towards the enemy. There was about thirty left of the enemy, and fifteen of us. Kira didn't use her bow. She used a spear that made me look like a mouse. She was brave, tackling monster after monster, wrestling them to the ground and breaking their bones. Her group was just as brave. When a giant broke her spear, Kira went demon-style. Her eyes really turned to red. She leaped up and kicked the giant in the face, then punching and kicking him numerous times. The giant's face was bloody, and he was too weak to rise and fight. "Zarana!" I heard my name. Thalia was running like a gazelle towards Coeus, unharmed. When a dracaena tried to oppose her, she fired an arrow point-blank between her eyes. I followed her, taking one last look at the fight. "Coeus." Thalia started. But I was full of adrenaline. "Heck!" I shrieked and summoned a lightning bolt. It struck Coeus at the head. The Titan wobbled. "No lightning bolt can defeat me, daughters of Zeus." Coeus sneered. "Yeah? You're only saying that 'cause Gaea told you so! But you don't believe it! You're scared of the lightning bolt, Coeus! Get it? Scared!" A powerful gust blew in and made Coeus stumble and he landed on his butt painfully. I ran towards him, clutched his head and made him look into my eyes. He screamed. "No! Stop it!" He flailed, but I held firm. "Stop it!" Coeus yelled. "It's hurting me! Demigod! No! Spare me!" He closed his eyes, but with my fingers I forcibly opened them. "Ack! No! Please!" Coeus was now trembling. "Zarana, stop." Thalia ordered. I obliged. I left the Titan quaking with fright. Thalia towered over Coeus. She had her spear in one hand, ready to strike. The Titan was still shaking, but he smiled gruesomely. "You demigods could never kill." He said with a little chortle. "You have so much compassion in your petty mortal hearts." Thalia breathed heavily. "Maybe, Coeus." She said. "But I am making an exception." She lunged. Coeus laughed and slapped the ground. His own silver spear appeared in his hands and with an expert move, he managed to deflect the attack. He stood up, new-found confidence filling him. He fought with Thalia, javelin to javelin. I watched helplessly as Coeus pushed Thalia with the tip of the spear and sent her flying. "Hey!" I yelled. I made a cyclone around me and kicked the Titan in the face. He grunted and thwacked me with his javelin. I dropped to the ground. Beside me, Thalia's spear glinted. I picked it up. I yelled a battle cry, probably "Die!!" and jabbed Coeus in his thigh. He didn't even notice. He was bellowing in victory. As if the battle was done and they had won. Pfft. That will never happen. "You stupid oaf!" I shrieked. "I'm still here, idiot!" I tried another tornado. It lifted me up to his face, who was annoyed. I smiled, braced the javelin to his chest and mouthed, "Goodbye." The tip of the javelin hit his chest. Eyes round, the Titan fell, and started to melt until there was nothing left but his silver armor and his spear clattering to the ground. "Thalia!" I called. I searched for her frantically. Finally, I found her on her back, eyes closed and clutching her head. "Ow....." I helped her up and gave her a bit of a squashed ambrosia square I had stored in my pocket. When she was fine I handed her her Mace canister. Aegis spiraled to life. My sword appeared in my hand. We charged to battle. Chapter Ten Oblivious to our little event, the battle was still in full force. I joined the Hunters and Annabeth and Lawrence. Gian was unconcious. Kira was busy with a Hyporborean. Thalia immediately launched herself against a rogue Cyclops. For a moment, we looked like we were winning. A dracaena glimpsed behind her and saw the silver armor. She became so angry she roared and glared at me. She slithered to me and we began fighting pitchfork against sword. From my far left, there was a rain of icicles as Kira finished off the Hyporborean. I knew I was losing. The dracaena's anger made her more stronger. She handled the pitchfork with skill, and a few seconds later, she disarmed me. I was so weary all I can do is wait for death. As the pitchfork was inches away from my heart, I heard "No!" and I was knocked out of the way. Beside me, Kira fell to the earth, her clothes ripped, her chest bloody. Her eyes were open, but she was barely breathing. The pitchfork had gotten her instead of me. Suddenly, I could feel my powers returning. I was so mad I burst into a harsh electric blue light, with lightning flickering. I vocalized my feelings of rage and despair. And I dropped to the ground, drained. Around me, there was nothing but the Hunters, Annabeth, Lawrence and Gian (who was still out). "Kira!" I exclaimed and hurried towards her. She looked terrible. Her glow was fading, and she was pale and cold. "I'm....I'm so sorry...." She whispered. A tear traced down her cheek. "I....was...r-rude.....P-please forgive me." I tried not to break down and cry. "Kira....." A lump formed in my throat. "You're forgiven." Kira nodded. She turned her head to Thalia. "I-I served Artemis." She choked. "I hope....you are satis-satisfied." Thalia didn't speak. Her eyes were watering. Suddenly, there was a silver light beside Thalia. Artemis appeared, her face etched with grief. "L-lady Artemis." Kira bit her lip. "I h-had pledged my l-life. I ful-fulfilled my oath. I had served y-you. Is all....is all well?" The goddess kneeled beside the dying Huntress. "All is well, Kira." She muttered. "All is well." But I didn't want Kira to die yet. "Can't you do something?" I cried to Artemis. "It's just a wound." I was flushed, my heart heavy. Lawrence picked up the pitchfork that wounded Kira. It was polished bronze. The three tips were dripping with a brownish-green substance. "It's dracaena venom." Annabeth and Lawrence said in unison. "It can kill anyone that's hit by it in minutes, or seconds, depending how strong the venom is." Lawrence added. "It's f-fine.....Zarana." Kira croaked. "It's the F-fates' will. They.....they are cruel, y-yes." "You're a hero, Kira. You're worthy of Elysium." Thalia said. Kira gave her a tiny smile. The sky rumbled. Kira's eyes were closing. "Thank you." She whispered for the last time. Then, she didn't move. She was gone. Finally, I sobbed. Artemis put her hand on Kira's forehead, muttered Ancient Greek words and stood. Kira's body shimmered and disappeared. "You have done well, my Hunters. Heroes." Artemis said. She smiled at us. The ground beneath us began to shake. Coeus' mountain crumbled, and soon, we were standing on a sidewalk of Chicago. We turned, to find Artemis gone. "How are we supposed to go home?" I asked. Thalia shrugged. Just then, a faint image of a man clothed in leather with an evil, scarred face appeared before us. "Hey kiddos." He sneered. That voice......why, it reminds me of.....Clarisse! "Ares?" I asked, blinking. "Yeah." The man said gruffly. Annabeth frowned. "What are you doing I'Ming us?" She said. "I know you have no way of going back to New York." Ares said. "So I came to help." Still, Annabeth was cautious. "Oh yeah? You going to send us to another smelly truck?" She said. "Look, missy." Ares growled. "My daughter, Kira, just died, so lay off, okay?" "She's your daughter?" I gasped. I should have known. "It's obvious." Ares muttered. "Anyways, here." He tossed us a whistle, which passed through the screen of mist and to Thalia's palm. "Blow the whistle and your ride will come. It'll send you straight to Camp Half-blood." "No detours?" Annabeth questioned. "It depends on the driver." Ares replied. The Iris message vanished. Thalia looked at us. "Shall we give it a try?" She said. "Uh-huh." I answered. I was anxious to go home. She put the whistle to her lips and blew. The high-pitched sound caused half a dozen people to cast "Are-you-crazy" looks at us. Nothing happened. Chapter Eleven "Argh!" Annabeth said. "Tricked again!" She looked furious with herself. "Hey, calm down, alright?" Gian said. Out of thin air, a white limousine materialized. "Uh, I hate that car." Thalia muttered. "It reminds me of Bianca." But we have no choice but to ride. "Who'll drive?" Lawrence said. Nobody answered. Then, Gian raised his hand. "I will." He offered. Thalia raised a brow. "You know how to drive this thing?" She asked. "I'm seventeen." Gian shot back. "And if I can hotwire a car, I can drive it. I drove my mom's BMW several times." Thalia hesitated. "Fine." She gestured to the driver's seat. Gian grinned mischievously. When we were all settled, Gian gripped the wheel and revved up the engine. Then, we shot forward at the speed of light--literally. Everything was a blur, and my stomach felt bad. Winds blasted me, and I managed to hold on tight to something. My head was aching. "Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" I could hear someone scream, it sounded girlish. Gian slammed on the brakes. And I threw up outside the window. I could see the giant pine tree that is Camp Half-blood's borderline. "It seems like seconds." Phoebe mumbled. Gian was laughing hard. He had tears in his eyes. He finally stopped when someone banged him with a bow. It was Thalia. Her face was red. "Hey!" He exclaimed defiantly. I punched him too. "What is that!" I exploded. "What did you do?" Gian shrugged. "Dad's blessing, I guess." He simply answered. We got out of the car. As we climbed on top of the hill, I let out a sigh of relief. Thank the gods this is over. "Zarana." Thalia then appeared. "How did you make time stop?" She looked troubled, confused. "I....What?" I said. "You made time stop, when the hellhounds were advancing." Thalia said. "I don't know. I just raised my sword and screamed, then you guys froze." I replied. "She has Kronos' blood." Phoebe then said, walking beside Thalia. "Huh?" "I don't know how that happened, but you have definitely some of Kronos' powers." Phoebe said. "Maybe because Kronos is my grandfather?" I suggested. Phoebe considered the thought. "Maybe." She replied. "When Zeus gets really, really frustrated or angry, he can stop the world for a minute or so. The same ability goes for Poseidon and Hades." "How do you know that?" I asked. "I've seen it." Phoebe said grimly. "Oh." "So you inherited that ability. Boy, are you one unique demigod." Thalia chuckled. "That, I am." I mumbled sadly. That was one reason I nearly started a war, nearly put everyone in danger, and nearly got myself killed. Why? "Ah, Hunters! Annabeth! Lawrence! Gian! I see you have Zarana!" Chiron trotted to us, his arms wide with welcome. "We stopped Coeus too!" Gian declared proudly. "We?" Lawrence gawked. "You spent the battle unconscious!" Annabeth and he burst into peals of laughter. "I'll get back at ya." Gian muttered and stalked off. "Hi, Chiron." I said. "It was fun getting imprisoned by a Titan." I followed Gian into camp. I let Thalia explain the whole thing and went to the climbing wall. I saw a boy climbing it in full lava and earthquake mode, clutching the lava as if it was clay. This had to be Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades. I left, not wanting to disrupt him. I went to the canoe lake instead. I saw Percy there, he must be waiting for Annabeth. "She's at the Big House with Thalia." I blurted out to him. He looked up, startled. "Oh, hey Zarana." He said. "Thanks for telling me, and um, welcome back." He stood up and ran to the Big House. I sat down beside the lake, watching some naiads making sea-grass jewelry. One waved at me. I raised my hand and gave her a tiny smile. I felt a tingle in my bones that this adventure: me being captured, fighting Coeus, and saving the world is just a small part of my destiny. Yes, I hated it, but it's the way things are. "Hey, Zarana!" I heard a familiar voice. Gian came tromping up to me, holding a piece of paper. "Can you help me plan my revenge?" He handed me the paper. At the top I saw the words: OPERATION LAWRENCE. I laughed. "What am I going to do?" Gian scratched his chin. "Can you just check if my plan is perfect? Then comment." He sat down next to me. I nodded. I must admit, Gian's plan was ingenious. The paper showed a map of the Athena cabin, and at the side, Lawrence's schedule. At about 3 o'clock, tomorrow, when Lawrence was practicing swords-play with the Apollo kids, Gian was going to sneak inside the cabin via an open window and put a couple of giant spiders in Lawrence's pillow. No doubt Lawrence's gonna freak. "It's awesome." I said. Gian grinned. I gave him back his plan and he ran off. I looked at him go, and I noticed at the foot of Half-blood Hill, a group had gathered, and there was a centaur. Curious, I sprinted towards them. The Hunters were there, and so was Annabeth. She was hugging Thalia. Chiron stood there, his eyes glittering. "Where are you going?" I asked. Thalia turned towards me and smiled. "Artemis summons us." She said. "We must go." "Oh." I said, crest-fallen. "I'll visit." Thalia promised quickly. "Take care, sis." I hugged her. She joined the Hunters, and they climbed up the hill. As they passed the pine tree, they shimmered and disappeared. "So," Chiron said. "I do believe you helped save the world from the Titans' wrath." I blushed. I tried to say something, but my throat felt dry. "Mmm-hmm." Annabeth spoke up, instead. "She's brave." "All heroes are." Chiron said admiringly. "And you should be proud of it." My face got redder. But I smiled. Chapter Twelve It was almost the end of summer. I was sitting on one of the branches of an oak tree near the beach, waiting for the fireworks display. It was a bit early, and I was the first one to come. After half an hour, the Hephaestus kids came and began to set up the rockets. I saw Percy with Annabeth spreading a picnic basket a few feet away from me. The Hermes clan emerged, loudly laughing. Gian was with them. He had pulled off his joke for Lawrence three weeks ago, and from the arena, when I was parrying with Annabeth, I had heard Lawrence's girlish screams. Anyway, the Hermes cabin settled themselves at the other end of the beach. Speaking of Lawrence, he appeared with his date, Miranda Gardiner. He was conversing with her about plants, which kept Miranda interested. The others poured in and took their place at the sand. Chiron clapped his hands, and the display began. There was Jason, crossing the sea with the Argonauts. Then it broke away and showed Thesus slaying the Minotaur. Then, there was Apollo riding the sun chariot, George Washington crossing the Delaware, and Percy Jackson fighting Hyperion. I could see Percy's red face from my place. Finally, a firework image of the gods lit up the whole camp, and melted to sparks. We applaused. I jumped off the branch and joined the crowd to the campfire. I saw the Hephaestus kids carrying another box. Now what? I thought. Grinning, a Hephaestus boy handed me a necklace with a clay bead. A blue eye was painted on it, and in its iris a yellow lightning bolt was etched. Printed below were the words: "Blue eyes." As I took my seat for the sing-along, my heart was bursting with pride. And when we started singing, I was one of the people who sang the loudest. This is my best summer. Ever. The next day, I received a note from the camp director. But I already made up my mind. I'm going home. I know, I know. A daughter of Zeus? Out in the mortal world? Risky, I'll possibly get slaughtered. But I've already been trained, by Chiron nonetheless. And my friends are going to their homes too. Annabeth in San Francisco, Percy in New York, Lawrence in Washington, and Gian in California. It just seems right, and no mythological freak will touch me anyway. You know why? 'Cause I have blue eyes. Category:Storm Legends Category:Storm wolf01 Category:Complete